Broken
by AnimeniacAnonymous
Summary: Satoru had not known a heart could be so broken. Join him as he pieces himself back together.
Okay everyone, here's fic four. This is based purely on the anime as I have not read the manga yet. Therefore, since there are discrepancies between the two, those who have only read the manga may find this story a bit confusing. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

~AnimeniacAnonymous

Broken

The first time his heart broke, it was because of his own failure. Satoru hadn't really known Hinazuki Kayo, only recognizing her as a fellow classmate. But he had been the last person to see her alive other than her murderer. He felt guilty, like it was his fault that she had died. When he said as much to his mother, she smiled a sad smile, hugged him, and never spoke of the incident again.

As he got older, he slowly forgot about Kayo Hinazuki and the other two children who had been kidnapped: even his old friend Hiromi Sugita. He lived his life of mediocrity without making so much as a ripple in his otherwise boring existence. But then, he developed an ability to travel back in time to prevent tragedies from occurring. Satoru, now much older and much more jaded, did what he could: why not, he was there and he could help, but he never really felt anything for those people. He did it because he felt obligated to since he had his Revival. But then, his mother was murdered.

When he came home and found her laying there his heart, long thought numb, broke again. It was wrong for her to be dead, to look so frail and weak. Sachiko Fujinuma had always been so strong, raising her son alone and always knowing what to say and do in every situation. All of a sudden not having her then, even worse, being blamed for her murder, just made everything inside him hurt.

Then he had his strangest Revival yet. He went back eighteen years, to the time right before those serial kidnappings had happened. Now, with his adult mind, Satoru saw things he had missed as a child; the signs of abuse, the strange coincidences surrounding those kidnappings, and the incredible perception of his classmate Kenya. And, in some way, he felt like he had been given a second chance. Now he could prevent not only his mother's murder, but also the serial kidnappings that he had finally remembered and felt responsible for.

Satoru pulled himself together and began to work for his goal; becoming close to Kayo, not only because his mission needed him to, but because he honestly came to care for the abused girl. He had felt so elated when he thought he had succeeded. He had changed the future and prevented those tragedies from occurring. When she had ended up dead anyway, the illusion had shattered and he felt broken inside once more. When the time traveler had returned and found himself in the same situation as when he had left Satoru had felt true despair. Despite all his efforts, the three children and his mother were dead and he was accused of being the one who killed her. When Airi had said she believed in him, he had appreciated it. But then she came to harm and he knew he couldn't involve her anymore. After he had been arrested and she had called out to him, apologizing over and over for her mistake, he hadn't had anything really to say except "I can still hang in there because you believe in me." He had been ready to end things there: just another failure on top of all his others. But then he had seen Him: the man who was most likely responsible not only for his mother's death, but also for the kidnappings all those years ago. And Satoru knew what he had to do.

He had used sheer willpower to send himself through another Revival. He needed another chance to make things right. Only this time, he didn't do it alone. He sought help from Kenya and Hiromi and even his mother and teacher Yashiro. And it worked. Finally he saw Kayo be taken far away from the scene of her kidnapping and he was even able to prevent the others from happening. His heart felt so full he could almost cry.

The feeling disappeared soon enough. Yashiro, a man he had admired and come to see like his father figure, was the one responsible for everything. And the man knew that it was Satoru who had foiled him. As revenge he tried to kill him, even as he struggled against the broken restraints of the car that would become his coffin, he had yelled out "I know your future!" in a desperate bid to save himself. The world faded to black and he breathed what he thought was to be his last breath.

Eighteen years later, he awakes, finding that he had been rescued but in a coma due to a car crash into an icy river. His memories were frayed, but Satoru knew he needed to remember what had happened. He felt as though there were lives at stake. As he interacted with his friends and with young Kumi, he slowly began to piece together all that had happened. When he finally remembered, he had immediately reached out to Kenya and Hiromi, seeking resolution finally.

On the roof, as he watched his gamble play out; his heart, which had been broken so many times by the hardships he had endured, began to piece itself back together. It was painful, kind of like how sometimes you had to feel worse before you felt better, but his chest felt so full and light that he had smiled in the face of his attacker and had let go, knowing that everything would be alright.

Yes he had suffered: first with guilt, then with despair, failure, and ultimately his own wellbeing. But seeing his mother alive and well and seeing Kayo and Hiromi happy together, Satoru knew it had all been worth it. And the broken pieces of his soul, once so fractured, were whole once more.


End file.
